What would you call a balanced Christian?

[angels4u]

Do you think its important to be an balanced Christian and what do you think is a balanced Christian?

Does doctrine play part in this?

[tsth]

Dear Angels4u,

I had a very prominent Scripture come to mind. It was this one:

Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

This particular passage had me studying the word mercy in the Scriptures. I find that it is sometimes difficult to balance mercy and truth, but that they are both (to me) the definition of the Love of the Lord. We can many times walk in one or the other, but they are "both" necessary, working together, to accomplish the walk of a Christian. He wants us to be loving, truthful, and merciful towards each other, and that can be hard sometimes, because especially in this day and time, the truth angers many.

Here are some of the most prominent verses about mercy. I also posted a link to the first page of the study on the word mercy in the Scriptures. That word is used 269 times. Although I posted about mercy and truth, it is very interesting to study just the word mercy alone, then the Truth begins to come in with it as well. And it is very important to the Lord.

http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBibl...mercy+and+truth

Psalm 25:10

All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

Psalm 61:7

He shall abide before God forever. Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!

Ps 85:10

Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.

Pr 3:3

Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,

Pr 14:22

Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.

Pr. 16:6 In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

Do you think its important to be an balanced Christian and what do you think is a balanced Christian?

Does doctrine play part in this?

Yes I do think it is very important and there are many facets to being balanced....one very important one is obedience to the Lord. But in terms of my walk as a Christian, I think the most important part that easily gets away from us, is mercy and truth. We do not dwell on these in heart as easily as we'd like.

Do I think doctrine plays a part in this? Absolutely, you cannot have Truth, without the Word.

God's Word is The Truth.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[tsth]

Did my answer not count????

:il:

In His Love,

Suzanne

[Catsmeow]

Several posts are missing here....I posted a kinda silly/humorous post about being "unbalanced", {meant in humor....} but it's missing; so are several other posts people made.

I've noticed other posts I've made just seem to go into a black hole with no explanation....What gives, George?

[Ovedya]

To me it depends on the kind of balance you are talking about. Balance in your life, livlihood, opinions, theology, doctrine, spiritual life, or what?

[OneAccord]

I think it take awful good balance to walk in the paths of righteousness. Sometimes that narrow road feels so narrow it's like a tightrope. Thank God for His right hand that holds us when we falter.

[angels4u]

I do think that doctrine plays part in being balanced, you have to believe the truth first of all, and second you have to know and read the Word and you have to have The Holy Spirit in your life to make you very balanced.

One cannot go without the other.

If you have this balance I believe that you will not led astray to easy to what ever wind blows. (different gospels)

Suzanne thank you for going into this topic more indept, I didn't have time to study it earlier...

Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings

[Ovedya]

I do think that doctrine plays part in being balanced, you have to believe the truth first of all, and second you have to know and read the Word and you have to have The Holy Spirit in your life to make you very balanced.

One cannot go without the other.

If you have this balance I believe that you will not led astray to easy to what ever wind blows. (different gospels)

Suzanne thank you for going into this topic more indept, I didn't have time to study it earlier...

Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings

Watchman Nee wrote a good book called The Balanced Christian Life. It's a must read for all believers.

I like the anaology of a train to describe the balance between the Spirit and the Word. A train needs two basic things to arrive at it's destination. It needs fuel to go and a track to run on. If there were the fuel but no trqack, the train would not go in a straight path. If there were the track but no fuel, the train is "dead in it's track." It cannot move.

A Christian who has too much of the Spirit without the word is like a train that has the fuel but no track. A Christian who has too much of the word is like the train that has the track but no fuel. Every believer therefore must have an equal balance of both the Spirit and the Word.

[tsth]

Suzanne thank you for going into this topic more indept, I didn't have time to study it earlier...

Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings

I'm just a big pouty baby aren't I!

I really liked the question though angel, I hope it takes off this time.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[traveller]

A Christian who has too much of the Spirit without the word is like a train that has the fuel but no track. A Christian who has too much of the word is like the train that has the track but no fuel. Every believer therefore must have an equal balance of both the Spirit and the Word.

Okay- silly question here. How can you have too much of the Spirit without the word? I mean, if you are full of the Holy Spirit, isn't craving the word part of that? One that is full of the Spirit is not going to lay the word down and walk away, you think? I wouldn't think it possible. If you are full of the Spirit isn't it because you have an honest and true desire for the Lord and His holy word?